Paul John McTernan, JP is a very special individual. His Modus Operandi is deception, innuendo, inferences and never admitting to anything. In fact, his favourite saying is “I never said that…!” McTernan likes to think he can outsmart anyone who questions him about his military history. However, we here at ANZMI are far smarter than the average bear and we have proven that McTernan is a liar, a cheat and a wannabe all rolled into one portly little package!

McTernan is a Welfare Officer and a DVA Advocate for those ex-serving members and veterans who wish to make a claim for an injury incurred during their service. This is ANOTHER example of a fraud, a cheat and a liar making his way into a respected position within a Sub Branch. When are Sub Branches going to start doing background checks on ex-serving members and veterans applying for membership with the RSL? This is the only way of avoiding embarrassing situations such as McTernan.

McTernan has made claims to have had prior service as a Trooper with 2 Commando Company in the Rhodesian Light Infantry. Claims which he supported in his application to join the Woolgoolga RSL Sub Branch. Here is his application….

It all seemed fairly straight forward until it came to light that McTernan had also claimed to have been an Infantry soldier in 6th Battalion Royal Australian Regiment in the early 1980’s. This is where McTernan came unstuck. Why you ask? Unless McTernan has an identical twin, he could not possibly have served in two places, in two different countries, at the same time.

According to our friends in the Rhodesian Services Association, no one by the name of McTernan ever served with 2 Commando Company in the Rhodesian Light Infantry, or within the Rhodesian Army for that matter. Furthermore, McTernan claimed on his application to join the RSL to have served in the Rhodesian Army from 1 December 1980 to 4 December 1994. McTernan should have studied geography a bit more before completing the application because Rhodesia became Zimbabwe in April 1980, eight months prior to his claims to have enlisted in the (disbanded) Rhodesian Army.

To make matters worse for McTernan, there’s absolutely no way he could have been awarded the three medals he listed on his application. These medals are:

The Rhodesia Medal, The Rhodesian General Service Medal, and The Zimbabwe Independence Medal.

The reason is quite simple – McTernan had never served in the Rhodesian or the Zimbabwe Army.

Interestingly, on his application for entry into the Australian Army (dated 18/8/81), McTernan ticked ‘NO’ to question 31: “Have you ever served in any armed force?” Even he admits to have never served in the Rhodesian Army. Furthermore, on the same application McTernan details his employment history. This history also covers the period he claimed to have been in the Rhodesian Army. Here is a copy of McTernan’s application to join the Army. Take note of Question 31 (it’s a little blurred) and his Employment Particulars:

More proof McTernan is a fraud, a liar, a cheat and a wannabe!

A point to note is that no one has ever seen McTernan wear his “Rhodesian” medals. It has been noted however, that when McTernan is seen on ANZAC Day or Rememberance Day and asked why he isn’t wearing his medals, he has responded with “I don’t need to wear my medals to prove my service” (or words to that effect). In fact, McTernan is only authorised to wear the Australian Defence Medal (ADM) for his service with the Australian Army.

McTernan served for just three years as a self-described "baggy-arsed" Infantry soldier with (the then) 2/4 Battalion, the Royal Australian Regiment and never deployed on operations overseas. Interestingly, on McTernan’s application to join the RSL, he claimed to have been deployed to Somalia under the UN sanctioned United Task Force (UNITAF). This US led operation was conducted in 1992 – nine years AFTER McTernan discharged from the Australian Army. To make sure it was beyond reasonable doubt a search of the Nominal Roll for all Australian Defence personnel who deployed to Somalia concluded that no one by the name of McTernan was ever deployed to Somalia.

And if you thought the hole McTernan was digging for himself was deep enough, think again…..

Technology, in particular Social Media, is a wonderful thing to keep in touch with family and friends. But, for those who wish to “embellish” their standing within their peer group and within the community, it can be a very effective tool, but one that can easily bite you squarely on the backside. McTernan regularly likes to post photos on his Facebook page depicting “soldiers” going about their everyday routine. Remember though, McTernan is a master of innuendo and inference. He never put his name to a photo that showed members of either the Rhodesian or Australian Special Forces. He never used the words “me”, “I”, “us” or “we”, instead adding comments like “On patrol with 3 CDO…..”. An excellent example is the following photo:

This photo is not the original photo that McTernan had posted on his Facebook page. He has since removed it when questions arose about its authenticity. The caption he had attached to the photo was “on patrol with Rhodesian army 3 commando operation repulse 1979”. He never said it was him in the photo, but he ‘inferred’ it was him. A friend of McTernan’s asked the following question:

XXXX: On patrol with Rhodesian special air service 1979? Photo

Paul McTernan: I was never on patrol with the Rhodesian Special Air Service in 1979. The only thing I posted up was photos of the Rhodesian Army!

XXXX: Ok I accept that, I read it wrong it said on patrol with Rhodesian army 3 commando operation repulse 1979. Some of my close friends asked me as well, not the ones who argued with you.

XXXX: I shall get back to you, but when you did all your recruiting for site you also asked some of my friends who served in SAS, they asked me if I knew you.

XXXX: I did not serve in SAS,I taught them on SAS patrol medic courses. You will also find one of my friends up until recently was high in the RSL retiring as a Colonel. That is why I asked if you had taken it further, with RSL

Paul McTernan: Not a problem XXXX, I was just a baggy arse infantryman in the Australian Regular Army and proud of it. I had nothing to do with the Australian or Rhodesian SAS. Kind regards

This is a perfect example of McTernan’s ability to ‘infer’ he is the person in the photo and was with the Rhodesian Special Forces. But, whenever questions are asked, he simply resorts to his classic and well-rehearsed response of “I never said that”.

Interestingly, the photo of the soldier was part of a photo shoot in 2011 and the weapon being carried by the soldier is an airsoft FN paintball gun. This is another example of McTernan trying to pass himself off as someone he never was. McTernan also made a comment about ANZMI on his Facebook page:

"They are anonymous cowards who make unsubstantiated allegations".

When ANZMI quizzed McTernan about the statement he had made, he asked where that statement had come from. We couldn’t direct McTernan to the location of the quote, because he had deleted it from his Facebook page.

Also on his Facebook page is this photograph:

McTernan was asked by one of his friends…

XXXX “Where was that photo taken mate?”

McTernan “Over in the west mate”

The vehicle in the photograph is a modified Unimog used by the SASR at that time (1980’s – 1990’s). Once again, McTernan is INFERRING he had a relationship with SASR, but never confirms or denies it. He also has another photograph of himself on his Facebook page:

In this photograph McTernan is holding a Heckler and Koch MP5 9mm sub-machine gun. This weapon is primarily used by police and Special Forces personnel world-wide. McTernan is also sporting a blue polo shirt embossed with “Australian Defence Training Academy”. Again, McTernan is inferring he has a relationship with Special Forces or Special Operations of some kind. He is not, and never has been, involved in Special Forces or Special Operations, either military or civilian, whatsoever.

McTernan also likes to vent his frustrations through the media. We already know he’s quite active on his Facebook page, but he also like to put his 10 cents worth through the local newspapers. McTernan has voiced his opinion many times through Letters to the Editor, but this one stands out the most:

In the very first sentence McTernan states:

“As a former soldier who has fought on the battlefield and has also witnessed first-hand the horrors of war…”

Looking at McTernan’s military history, it’s easy to conclude that the closest he has ever come to a battlefield is probably during a game of Skirmish. It must have been truly horrifying to see all those people with paint splattered all over their overalls and screaming in pain from the stinging impact of those little balls of paint!!

AS for McTernan’s post nominals ‘JP’. ANZMI was able to learn that McTernan is not an authorised JP in NSW. McTernan first became a JP in QLD. However, he is currently suspended due to his failure to re-register within the required timeframe. Anyone who has had documents signed by McTernan should seek legal advice to determine whether the documents submitted to the respective authority are still considered to be legally acceptable.

McTernan must have sensed ANZMI was closing in on him. On his Facebook page McTernan began heaping praise on ANZMI for the work we do exposing liars, cheats and wannabe’s. Such praise included:

“I admire the good work that your organisation does in exposing military imposters.”

Too late Mr McTernan, far too late! You are an imposter, a liar, a valour thief and a wannabe of the highest possible calibre. Welcome to the ANZMI website Mr McTernan for all the world to see.

Paul John McTernan

Update 01 SEP 15

To begin, ANZMI would like to make it clear that we have no interest whatsoever in the antics between McTernan, the Woolgoolga RSL Sub Branch or the Save the Woolgoolga WW1 Memorial Group. Our focus is on McTernan’s false claims to have served in the Rhodesian Army and other relevant information connected with this case.

A great deal has occurred since McTernan was exposed by ANZMI. He has been extremely active on social media, particularly on Facebook where he has attempted to explain to all and sundry that “ANZMI got it all wrong“!

“Wrong” is a very appropriate word to use Mr McTernan, but it’s not ANZMI that got it wrong, it’s you!

On the Regiment Family Facebook page McTernan has claimed that the application to join the Woolgoolga RSL Sub Branch that appears on his exposure has been forged (scroll up to review the application on McTernan’s original exposure).

On 11 August 2015 here’s what McTernan had to say:

“Folks with regards to the false and misleading statements made about me, I have currently sent letters to the various organisation’s (sic) requesting copies of certain documents. I an (sic) concerned that on face value particular documents appear to be forged and/or fraudulent, when the certified copies of the originals are sent to me, I will post up for all to see and then, I will then seek legal advice against those responsible for the forged documents and also the false and misleading defamatory remarks made against me.”

And on 12 August 2015 (on the same Facebook page):

“I have never severed (sic) in either the Rhodesian SAS or 2 Commando Company. The document is a fraud. The hand writing is not mine; my date of birth is 17/1/1961 and not 1960 as alleged. I Joined the Australian Army in 1981 and not 1980 as alleged in this bogus document.”

The dates that McTernan’s claims to have served in the Australian Army are only a minor issue. The issue is that McTernan claimed on his application to have served in the Rhodesian Army from 1980 to 1994.

An outright and blatant lie!

What ANZMI didn’t include in his original exposure was the back page of the application that clearly shows McTernan’s signature. His handwriting is unique and indisputable. Here is the back page:

This page shows not only his, but also the Sub Branch Secretary's and a witness’s signature. Below is a Statutory Declaration made by the Sub Branch Secretary who witnessed McTernan complete and sign the application on 14 April 2009:

McTernan claimed on Facebook:

“The document that was sent to ANZMI is a fake; i have never seen that document before. It has been fabricatedto NSW Head office.”.

The Sub Branch Secretary did not complete the application on McTernan’s behalf. This is incredibly easy to prove by comparing the handwriting in the Secretary’s Statutory Declaration to the handwriting on McTernan’s allegedly “forged” application. They are NOT the same. The Secretary’s handwriting style is vastly different to McTernan’s.

You’ll also note that McTernan’s signature on page 2 of the RSL application has a distinct slant to the left. It’s distinct and unique because McTernan is right-handed. It’s considered to be quite rare for a right-handed person’s handwriting to slope to the left. Comparing his signature on page 2 of the application (the slant to the left) and the handwriting on the page that ANZMI posted on his exposure, they both slant the same way – to the left. Therefore the application posted by ANZMI was undeniably completed by McTernan. Other idiosyncrasies relating to the way McTernan writes are also easily identifiable. For example; letters R, M, N, S, J, numbers 2, 4 and 7.

McTernan’s handwriting on his application to join the RSL can also be matched with his handwriting on the Enlistment application (see below). Even though the time difference between the two documents is almost 30 years, it is easy to ascertain that both documents were written by McTernan.

ANZMI investigators are not handwriting experts, but it doesn’t take a Degree in Handwriting Analysis to conclude the writing on both documents is the same.

Also, the application that McTernan purports to be the “real” application that he posted on the Regiment Family Facebook page is not the certified true copy that he swore he would produce. This alone indicates that McTernan may have “forged” his own application in an (awkward) attempt to prove his innocence.

The application ANZMI posted is NOT “forged” as McTernan would like you to believe.

With regard to McTernan’s denial of ever saying he served in the Rhodesian Army, apart from the irrefutable evidence that has already been produced, ANZMI was provided with a screenshot of an online conversation McTernan had with a member of the Regiment Family Facebook page. During the conversation McTernan states he was in the Rhodesian Army in 1979 (FYI: The person McTernan is conversing with also has the first name “Paul”). Here is the screenshot:

Once again McTernan claims to have served in the Rhodesian Army and further proof that he’s a pathological liar.

On the Regiment Family Facebook page McTernan wrote:

“As for the media article on ANZMI which stated quote; “as a former Soldier who has fought on the battlefield and has also witnessed the horrors of war”, This is 80% a true statement, However what was not properly conveyed was my back-ground as an overseas security consultant.

My family left the UK in the 1970’s because of the trouble in Northern Ireland and also due to the constantly bullying that my family suffered, due to my father being an Irishman. I saw bombed out buildings in Belfast and Derry, people attacking one another, riots and being constantly attacked at school and in our neighbourhood. I also witnessed war torn horrors in both South America and Africa on and off from 1989 to 1991. However, I was not a soldier I was just a security consultant.

It’s up to you what you want to believe and personally I do not give a F__K!”

80% true statement? Which part of it is 20% a lie?

This is another example of McTernan’s need to lie. One where he clearly admits that all he says is not necessarily the truth.

McTernan’s statement “As a former soldier who has fought on the battlefield…..” This lie alone is more than enough to make every current and former member of every defence force in the world who has done their time on a REAL battlefield seethe with anger at McTernan for telling such an outright and diabolical lie.

He has trivialised the service of so many just to further himself within the local community.

Furthermore, McTernan clearly states his family migrated from Ireland to Australia in the 1970’s (according to his Enlistment Application – previous addresses – it indicates the McTernan family arrived in Australia in 1975). At that time he would have been 14 or 15 years old (at the most), yet McTernan claims to have had an argument with his family and ran away overseas to find adventure, only to find bloodshed and misery. He claims to have returned to Australia in 1980 and joined the Army!

On the Save the Woolgoolga WW1 Memorial Group Facebook page McTernan wrote:

On his application to join the RSL McTernan stated he joined the Army in 1981. This is supported by his Enlistment Application (below) dated 18 August the same year. Yet, in his Facebook entry (above) he states he joined the Army in 1980 and under the name Leigh McTernan! His Enlistment Application clearly shows he joined the Army under the name Paul McTernan.

Does McTernan even know who he is?

Judging by his Enlistment Application, from 1975 to 1981 McTernan was living with his family in Victoria. From 1979 (18 years of age) to 1981 (20 years of age) he was continually employed pumping petrol and wiping windscreens at three different service stations! With this information alone it proves he never ‘ran away overseas..’ He was living with his family in Victoria and working as a grease monkey the whole time.

Here is page 1 and 2 of his Enlistment Application, judge for yourself:

He found bloodshed and misery? It must have been a fairly traumatic experience while working in petrol stations!

Mr McTernan you are an outright liar, a cheat and a despicable person without an ounce of honesty and integrity!

You have been well and truly BUSTED!!

On a final note,

It has also been revealed that, on McTernan’s Facebook page, he claims that between 1994 and 1997 he obtained a Diploma in Social Science Justice from Swinburne University of Technology in Victoria. According to the Admin staff at Swinburne Uni, no one with the surname McTernan has ever studied there, either on campus or by distance education. Another ‘McPorkie’ maybe?

On McTernan’s Facebook page he states that his favourite quote is:

“The hall has been rented, the band has been paid, time to see you dance”

Let’s see you tap dance your way out of this one McTernan.

Paul John McTernan Update20 March 2016

Not a lot of time has passed since ANZMI’s last update on McTernan’s lies and fraudulent claims of service in the Rhodesian Light Infantry and his claims to have been a “former soldier who has fought on the battlefield and witnessed first-hand the horrors of war”. You’d think it would have ended there….

Wrong!

Investigations by ANZMI do not stop once a person has been exposed on our website, we keep an eye open for anything that might catch our attention and provide us with enough evidence to post an update.

It’s now evident that McTernan hasn’t limited spreading his lies about his fictitious service in the Rhodesian Light Infantry to Facebook and local newspapers, he has also spread his vile dribble on other website forums. One such forum is on the nissanpatrol.com.au website, of which he is a member.

In the case of McTernan, ANZMI has discovered information that pre-dates our original exposure. If there ever was a case where the comment “final nail in the coffin” was appropriate, this would be it.

If you refer back to the 15 September 2015 Update, McTernan claimed:

“I have never severed (sic) in either the Rhodesian SAS or 2 Commando Company. The document is a fraud. The hand writing is not mine; my date of birth is 17/1/1961 and not 1960 as alleged. I Joined the Australian Army in 1981 and not 1980 as alleged in this bogus document.”

Bogus document? Read on and judge for yourself…..

While it’s not known what the topic of conversation was about, on 17 April 2013 McTernan made this comment on the nissanpatrol.com.au forum:

What an incredible lie!

In the year McTernan claims he was fighting a war in Rhodesia, losing close mates and killing multitudes of enemy, he was actually pumping petrol and wiping windscreens at various service stations in Melbourne. If you need to refresh your memory, see his Enlistment Application included in ANZMI’s original exposure.

On 6 July 2013, McTernan was asked if he served in Vietnam. His response was:

Needless to say, during 1979 and up to the time of his enlistment in the Australian Army (1981), McTernan was working in Melbourne as a service station attendant.

On the 5 August 2013, a member of the Nissan Patrol forum posted this:

To any ex-serving member of the Rhodesian Light Infantry (RLI) it would have been an incredible honour to meet one of the founding members of the RLI. However McTernan, fearing he would be exposed as the cheat and liar that he is, never responded. Perhaps a missed opportunity?

And sometime during 2013 and 2014, McTernan posted this on the forum:

The nickname (or user name) McTernan used on the forum was “RLI” (Rhodesian Light Infantry - which he later changed to PMC – Paul Mc).

On 12 January 2014, McTernan made sure every reader completely understood his claims to have been a member of the Rhodesian Light Infantry and the dates for when he served:

McTernan enlisted in the Australian Army in 1981.

And on 5 June 2014, McTernan reiterated what his user name was:

And if you think it stopped there, think again….

On 20 June 2014 there was this:

McTernan never posted a list of his “last rites weapons”. Considering McTernan was a service station attendant between 1979 and 1981, it is highly unlikely he was able to conduct experiments on the capabilities of the F1 9mm automatic weapon. He certainly wasn’t in any Defence Force. Another McPorkie maybe?

And finally, just to confuse things even more, in late 2012 McTernan posted this on the patrol4x4.com forum (of which he was a member):

If there was ever any doubt surrounding McTernan’s innocence, this update will have cleared up any such reservations a person may have had.

McTernan continues to lie in an attempt to defend his less than honourable character. He has not only offended the Australian and New Zealand veterans and ex-serviceman community, you can now include the veterans of the Rhodesian Light Infantry as well.

You have forever claimed a permanent top spot on the ANZMI website for all the world to see.

Paul John McTernan

Update

05 June 2016

Congratulations Paul John McTernan, your exposure of being a liar, a cheat and a wannabe has gone international with a similar organisation to that of ANZMI having also published your ridiculous antics. McTernan now appears on the Facebook page of the "Rhodesian Wannabes, Bloaters and the Scum that support them”. It won’t take long for other such organisations to follow suit.

Even though McTernan’s claims of having been a former soldier in the Rhodesian Light Infantry (RLI) have been irrefutably exposed as blatant lies, more information is still being forwarded to ANZMI that pre-dates everything else we have published so far.

As unbelievable as it may seem, in 2009 McTernan even tried to convince an ex-RLI servicemen that he was a former member of the RLI during the period 1979 to 1980. Here is what that ex-serviceman had to say:

“Quite a “Once upon a time” history. He actually claimed to have written a book on the experience, which he said he would send to me, but never did. It was going to be published as “Born To Fight” with a possibility of being published by a proper publishing house like Allen & Unwin or Pan Macmillan etc”.

McTernan was writing a book on his “experiences” while serving in the RLI and he was going to call the book “Born To Fight”? If it did get published, it would have been a very interesting read indeed! But remember to go to the section of the library or book store labelled “Fiction”.

It’s clear that McTernan has been delusional for many, many years.

The ex-RLI serviceman also stated:

“McTernan…….. probably wanted to serve in Rhodesia, but lacked the initiative of others around the world who came to join us in the RLI”.

McTernan lacked initiative? No revelations there!

The ex-RLI serviceman clearly had suspicions about McTernan’s claims to have served in the RLI and commented:

“I did a little digging myself in 2009 because words that I had with him eventually did not stack”.

The ex-RLI serviceman quickly realised that McTernan was lying about his supposed service with the RLI. A realisation that most people, who have been unfortunate enough to have had dealings with McTernan over the years, also came to the same conclusion.

It seems that McTernan wasn’t happy with just fabricating his service in the RLI. Unbelievably, he even applied for Rhodesian medals. Below are the applications he submitted (via an organisation called “We Were Rhodesians”) for the issue of such medals:

Note his service for each of the awards. The first and second confirm McTernan tried to pass himself off as a Commando. The third is his application for the Rhodesia Medal where his service is listed as “Civ”. We are led to believe McTernan was applying for the Rhodesia Medal as a civilian! We know! Unbelievable, right!

The ex-RLI serviceman said:

“Note the award date of the RGSM (Rhodesia General Service Medal) vs his date of birth and date of attesting. RGSM was awarded to him, apparently, when he was four years of age. He must have applied for these medals. Because my RLI service ended in ’76, I certainly was not in a position to verify facts as claimed, but when I saw that, I chose not to proceed with further assistance around those medals. At that stage I did not know of the existence of ANZMI.”

An RGSM as a four year old? McTernan, if you’re going to fraudulently apply for a medal, at least make your age of attesting a believable one!

This gentleman was able to quickly ascertain that McTernan was a fraud and a liar. Had he have known ANZMI existed, we could have exposed McTernan much earlier and saved a lot of people a whole lot of angst.

In 2009, McTernan was in contact with another ex-Rhodesian serviceman, again trying to fraudulently obtain Rhodesian medals he wasn’t entitled to. Below is an email from McTernan to that person:

Hi XXXX, I served 12 months with the 1st Bn Rhodesian Light Infantry, 3 Commando, from 1979 to 1980. My service details were 730199 Tpr McTernan PJ. CO at the time was Bate, I forgot the last CO's name. RSM was Read OC's was Price I think? I have forgot the CSM's name. I was discharged due to injuries to my right arm and right leg. Would my med docs be a source of info? Regards, Paul McTernan JP According to McTernan, his OC (Officer Commanding) was killed during the “Bush War” in 1979 (see previous update). And how could he have possibly enlisted into the Australian Army with such injuries that were serious enough for him to be medically discharged from the RLI?? There’s definitely no mention of these injuries detailed in his application to join the Army. If McTernan wants to prove he suffered such serious injuries, we are more than willing to view the medical documents and be proven wrong.

But wait! Of course there’s no mention of such wounds when he applied to join the Australian Army, because in his application McTernan stated he had never served in another Armed Force.

And in the email, McTernan included the post nominal “JP” (Justice of the Peace). In response to ANZMI’s original exposure, McTernan claimed he “has never used the post nominal “JP” while he has been a resident of NSW”. Since McTernan was a resident of NSW at the time he sent the above email, we think McTernan should retract that statement and admit it was just another one of his lies.

Once again, McTernan has come up with another totally different version of his fake Rhodesian service history, different than any other we have previously encountered.

As for McTernan’s application to be awarded the three medals…

Suffice to say, he didn’t get them.

Finally, the ex-Rhodesian serviceman had this to say….

“Paul did buy some Rhodesian Drinking glasses from CQ Store of Rhodesian Services Association New Zealand Registered Charity CC25203. I cannot help the urge I have to demand that he return them”.

The truly sad thing about McTernan’s lies is that, whenever his name is googled, not only will his name appear in the search results, but also his daughter’s (who happens to be a gifted sportswoman).

No one should suffer for the mistakes of others, no matter who they are.